March 14, 2011

Emergency Appeal:

Let us give Great East Japan Earthquake disaster relief union support

　　　　　　　　　　Trade Union Center for Great Earthquake-Tsunami Disaster Relief
　　　　　　　　　　-The National Confederation of Trade Unions (Zenroren)
　　　　　　　　　　-The National Federation of Agricultural Cooperatives Workers’ Unions

Fellow workers,

A powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 9.0, the biggest ever recorded, occurred at 2:46 PM (Japan time) on March 11 off the Pacific coast of Japan’s northeast, triggering massive tsunami waves. The disaster has devastated a wide-ranging area from Hokkaido to Chiba. The severity of damage is increasing with each passing day.

We offer our deep sympathy to all quake-tsunami survivors and condolences for the victims.

Radioactivity leaks have occurred at the Fukushima No. 1 and No. 2 nuclear power plants, halting their operation. A large fire erupted at an oil refinery in Ichihara City, Chiba Prefecture, and burned out of control with high flames. The disaster will necessarily have very adverse effect on people’s living conditions and the economy for years to come. In central Japan, an earthquake occurred beneath a populated area, believed to have been triggered by tectonic plates’ movement.

In the face of this quake-tsunami disaster, we call for invoking working people’s solidarity in order to extend support survivors in the quake-hit areas.

Fellow workers,

Trade unions affiliated to Zenroren and independent unions together have established a trade union center for organizing support for survivors of the Great East Japan Earthquake. We specifically call for the following efforts to be made:

- We will begin collecting cash donations to help hundreds of thousands of people who have lost all means to live. We ask for your goodwill action. We ask you to call on your friends to cooperate with us in collecting donations on a wider scale.
- We ask you to help deliver supplies needed by survivors. There is a shortage of food, water, cold weather equipment, and diapers. At present, the disaster areas are not well prepared to receive supplies. We are cooperating with our local members in Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures to ensure that supplies from around country will be delivered. As soon as we are ready to do the job, we will ask you to contribute supplies.
- We call for direct support in the disaster areas. In some regions, local government has been destroyed completely. Highways have been cut off in many municipalities and regions. We need help from people with expertise and skills necessary to respond to with this situation as quickly as possible.

Sooner or later, reconstruction of the disaster areas will need direct help. At that point we will call for participation in support activities. We invite you to sign up for the voluntary work.

Fellow workers,

The government has said that it will take emergency measures for the survivors. But due to problems related to nuclear power plants, including radioactivity leaks, and Tokyo Electric Power Company’s planned power outages ostensibly to save electricity, it is still unable to exert its role to help the disaster areas.

We ask you to call on your municipalities to urge the government to give priority to the earliest possible relief of survivors. We ask you to raise voices together in support of this campaign.

Thank you for your cooperation.

■Zenroren calls on solidarity of workers for disastrous Tohoku Pacific Earthquake